Residents live in fear as Turkwel Dam set to overflow
Communities living downstream along the Turkwel River are staring at an impending risk following an alert notice that increased water levels at the Turkwel dam could cause catastrophic overflow.
Hundreds of residents are now living in uncertainty over the alert that has come on the back of other warnings of the impending water overflow possibly never witnessed in the region.
The report has so far indicated that the water level is now at 1147.72 meters which is 8.48 meters higher than the highest reached level leaving only a capacity of 2.28 meters for water to spill over.
The continuous unpredictable rainfall pattern has caused fear among the local communities who have appealed to the government to quickly evacuate them to safer places before the waters start overflowing.
“Residents of Katilu, Kalemnyang, Loyapat, Nakwomoru, Lodwar, and settlements along the shores of Lake Turkana will be displaced,” stated the alert notice, adding that roads and the Turkwel irrigation scheme may also be affected.
Speaking to the People Daily, the residents who were led by Lokadio Ekidor said in the past years they have been facing insecurity challenges due to banditry attacks but the increase of water levels in the dam had brought new concerns driving them to farming which had changed their lives.
“We used to battle with our neighbors from Turkana. We lost lives and we decided to move closer to the dam so that we could look for an alternative way of earning a living through fishing and farming,” said Lokadio Ekidor.
One of the locals, Moses Lokor said most of the men were killed in clashes and since security stability resumed in the area they had embarked on farming activities along the Turkwel River.
